Al Qasr Champagne Brunch

Yesterday we went to our second Champagne Brunch. Champagne Brunches are an institution in Dubai and I felt like it was criminal that we waited over a year to go to our first one last fall. The one we went to in October was at the JBH (Jumeirah Beach Hotel) and while very good, was not the "best of the best." Our friends have been raving about the Brunch at the Al Qasr Hotel in the Madinat Jumeirah since we got here, and we figured if you are committing a large chunk of money along with your whole day to eating and drinking extreme amounts, you might as well be getting the best experience possible. So, as an official Happy New Year/Back to Dubai after the holidays celebration we got all our closest friends together and decided we needed to do the Al Qasr brunch. I think we were the only Al Qasr 'virgins' and as soon as we arrived we knew what all the hype was about.

The brunch is probably the most over-the-top food and drink bonanza I have ever seen. The whole downstairs of the hotel was entirely taken over by the brunch, and every single restaurant in the hotel was included in the spread. There aren't any menus, but instead there were maps on the table to direct us to all the different food and beverages stands (approximately 20-30 of them) scattered throughout the outside and inside of the hotel. We had a lovely table outside, overlooking the Gulf and Burj Al Arab, and conveniently right near the beer stand, and Indian and Arabic stands. Champagne is free-flowing (you are greeted with a glass of either Prosecco or pink champagne upon entering), and throughout the day your glass is never empty. Then you can hit us each of the other booze stands as often as you want, for as many glasses as you can carry. There was a mojito stand, Hennessey stand, Bacardi stand, beer stand, cognac stand, Saki stand, vodka stand, gin stand, and somewhere Jared found a cherry cordial cocktail (along with red wine appearing on our table out of no where). You can pretty much get your moneys worth on alcohol alone.

And Jared certainly did... He has 8 alcoholic beverages in front of him in this photo... And I don't even think that was the high point of his day.

And if all that alcohol wasn't enough, there was literally a food stand from every region of the world, and many countries had their own stands too... Just to name a few that I can think of: Arabic, Indian, Paella, Mexican, Malaysian, Thai, Dim Sum, Seafood (including grilled prawns and lobster, of which I think Jared had 4 lobster tails), mixed grill, a Wagyu burger stand, all the soups, salads, and breads you could imagine, German/Swiss, a Pork Room, Sushi, a kiddie buffet (with things like fries, hotdogs, and fish fingers), Italian pasta and pizza, foie gras, fried food, and a variety of amuse bouche with different pates, terrines, and ceviches (of which I probably had too many, and therefore missed out on some of the things I would have liked, like the grilled lobster and prawns and the Wagyu burger bar). If there was a picture in the Bible of the 7 deadly sins, the Al Qasr Brunch should be the representative of gluttony.. and that is even before you get to dessert. After my 4th plate or so, and 5th glass of champagne, I decided it was time to get my camera out and try to capture some of the essence of the day...

Elizabeth.

Lizzy and Muthanna.

Me & Jared, in cardiac arrest heaven.

Another shot. I should really learn not to push my arm up against my body like that in photos... Especially while consuming 10,000 calories. Not a flattering look.

And then we were onto the desserts. Oh and the desserts added a whole other 'wow' factor to the buffet. There were somewhere between 5 and 7 different dessert spreads scattered throughout the buffet. There was the candy buffet, with loads of gummies and chocolate candy that you could just take by the handful, there was the British dessert stand with various puddings and fruits crumbles, there was the ice cream bar, and room of chocolate with not one, but two chocolate fountains, along with truffles and other chocolates to indulge in + cupcakes. Then there was the macaroon stand, and lastly the traditional dessert stand with all varieties pastry and cake. I am sure I missed some too, as I couldn't even stomach dessert by the time I was sick of the savory food, so only had some gummies and a white chocolate ice cream cone. Needless to say, I probably consumed a week's worth of calories and truly should not eat again for 2-3 days. Truly an indulgent day.

Oh but wait, my friends thought it would be really funny to tell the wait staff that it was my birthday, so guess what, they brought me a cake (on top of everything else) and came to sing to me... And got our whole section of the buffet clapping. I was laughing so hard that it was difficult to blow out the candle.

Happy 27 and 5 months birthday to me!

Then, when we couldn't possible eat or drink anymore (and the buffet closed at 4, but let us sit there until 5), we decided it was time to move onto the Madinat to continue the night with sheesha and tea at Barzar. So we took the electric abras within the Madinat complex over to the bar. A lovely conclusion to the day.

Ruch and Elizabeth on the electric abra.

Clare and Mel.

A view of the Burj Al Arab from inside the Madinat complex (while on our abra ride).

So we luxuriated in the beanbags at Barzar for another 3 or 4 hours and digested while enjoying good company and sheesha (I had my traditional Moroccan mint tea). And then we were home and to bed by 10. It was a great time, but not something we need to repeat again for a long long time...